Pipe cleaner



J- A. MANNI NG PIPE CLEANER Filed Dec. 14, 1944 Patented June 15, 1948 UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE 2,443,355 H PIPE CLEANER James A. Manning, Lawrence, Mass. apeiimm December 14, 1944, Serial No. 568,165

3 Claims.

This invention relates and more particularly to a device for cleaning and sterilizing cigarette holders, cigar holders and D D .1 ,r M

An object of the inventionis toc'onstruct asirnple device to be held in onehand whereby a pipe or the like may be flushed to remove the saliva and tarry residues which condense from the combustion of the tobacco and collect in the bottom of the bowl and pipe stem. This objectionable and smelly residue also forms in cigar and cigarette holders. Most smokers clean their smoking appliances with conventional pipe cleaners, but such swabs do not remove the tenacious deposits, and particularly the odor from these deposits. With the present apparatus a smoker. is able to properly clean and sterilize a pipe or holder in a simple manner by causing a stream of hot or cold water from a faucet to flow through the pipe or holder and thus quickly and efliciently wash out the deposits therefrom. I

With the present simple and inexpensive device the smoker can connect the holder or pipe with the water supply with only one hand and maintain a water tight seal between the parts, which quickly and efiectively cleans out the pipe or tube.

In the drawings;

Fig. l is a perspective View showing the use of the device in cleaning out a pipe bowl and stem;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the appliance showing the water inlet tube and faucet seal;

Fig. 3 is a front plan view, partly in cross-section, showing the manner of retaining the faucet and smoking appliance seals; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section illustrating the internal construction of the device and showing the water passages therethrough.

$ pecifically in the drawings, numeral denotes .a generally circular housing having a flared ofiset portion 3 with an enlarged vertical Water passage 5 passing downwardly through the center of the ylindrical bod l. The body and offset flared portion 3 may be made from metal produced by die casting or molded from some suitable thermoplastic material. As shown in Fig. 4, the offset portion 3 terminates in a flared end having an undercut shoulder l therein for the retention of a. generally dome shaped resilient plug member 9, whose lower peripheral edge I l is retained by the under cut shoulder l. A water inlet tube I3 is centrally located through the dome shaped resilicnt plug 9 and terminates in an annular flange l5, which is supported around the central water bore 5 on the fiat portion of the body member and thusthe tube I3 is prevented from wabbling.

to a smokers appliance,

It will be observed that when desired for replacement or to obtainaccess to the central pas:

sage 5 the peripheral edge I I of sealing plug 9may be disengaged from beneath the shoulder l. One "face of the cylindrical body member l is cutaway member 23. This tube member 23 passes through an opening 25 formed centrally of the dome shaped enlarged sealing plug I9, and it is preferable for the inner end of the tube 23 to be rigidly aflixed through an opening 21 formed in the lower end of the wall of the water passage 5.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the user may readily hold a pipe P over the resilient large diameter plug l9 encompassing the tube '23 and by pressing the pipe bowl thereagainst secure a tight connection. Still using only one hand, the dome shaped plug 9 may be placed over the outlet of the hot or cold water faucet F and a stream of Water under pressure directed into the tube 13 from whence it passes into passage 5 and outwardly through tube 23 and thus water under pressure washes and sterilizes the pipe bowl and pipe stream so that the objectionable tarry material passes outwardly therethrough and into the wash basin. Cigar holders and cigarette holders may be Washed in a similar manner with equal facility. Under substantial water pressure a considerable flow of water will pass outwardly to properly flush the appliance and the arcuate outer surfaces of the plugs 9 and I9 permit asnug and watertight seal by holding the plugs in contact with the faucet and smoking appliance. This enlarged central passage 5 is also adapted to hold small pieces of soap or other cleaning material to assist in the detergent action of the water stream and to help to sterilize the appliance being cleansed. The readily removable top plug 9 permits easy access to the central passage for this purpose.

I claim:

1. A smokers appliance for use in washin the smoke tube of a pipe, a cigarette holder or the like, comprising a substantially cylindrical body member having flattened end faces and a peripheral offset portion, dome shaped resilient plugs detachably secured in one face of the cylindrical body member and in the outer end of the said offset portion, centrally positioned fluid openings formed in the said resilient plugs and a fluid passage formed through said cylindrical body member and said oifset portion and communicating with the said iiuid openings in the said plugs.

2. A smokers appliance adapted to temporarily join the smoke tube of a pipe or the like to a source of liquid under pressure comprising a cylindrical'body member having" flat surfaces at opposite ends and an undercut annular depression formed in one flat surface thereof, a resilient dome shaped plug detachably mounted in said depression, an offset radial stud formed integrally with the periphery of said flat cylindrical body member, the outer end of said stud being of greater diameter than the thickness of" the flat cylindrical body member and having an undercut annular depression formed therein and a resilient dome shaped plug detachably held in said last mentioned depression, said resilient plugs, said body member and said offset stud having central bores forming a continuous liquid passage.

3. A portable smoke tube flushing device com- REFERENflES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 650,249 Hodge May 22, 1900 902,752 Marr Nov. 3, 1908 1,052,759 Shepherd Feb. 11, 1913 1,213,215 Kuprel Jan. 23, 1917 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 250,697 Great Britain Apr. 22, 1926 9,000 Great Britain Mar. 19, 1903 

